Performance Saturday, July 6 at 8:15 p.m.

Chautauqua Opera dedicates this great British opera to the memory of Flora Mackenzie (1930–2013), wife of Reverend Ross Mackenzie, former Director of Religion at Chautauqua. Her generosity of spirit and her humor graced the Hall of Missions for more than ten years.

Opera in Two Parts and a PrologueDerived from the poem “The Borough” of George Crabbe Premiere Performance Sadler’s Wells, London, June 7, 1945 U.S. Premier Performance Berkshire Festival, Tanglewood, June 30, 1946Chautauqua Opera Premiere July 6, 2013 at 8:15 p.m.

Peter GrimesMusic by Benjamin Britten Words by Montagu Slater

David Kravitz

Elizabeth Baldwin

Philip Cokorinos

Cindy Sadler

Kevin Ray

CREDITSPeter Grimes is performed by arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., Publisher and Copyright Owner

Scenery Constructed By Local #266 I.A.T.S.E.

Costumes Provided By Malabar Ltd., Toronto and the Chautauqua Opera Costume Shop

Wigs provided by Philip Plowman

Lighting provided by Advanced Production Group

Wig/Makeup Assistant Designer Philip Plowman

Wig/Makeup Assistant Sydney Robinson

Peter Grimes, a fisherman Kevin Ray**Ellen Orford, a widow, schoolmistress of The Borough Elizabeth Baldwin*Captain Balstrode, a retired merchant skipper David Kravitz**Mr. Swallow, lawyer, coroner and mayor of The Borough Philip CokorinosMrs. (Nabob) Sedley, a rentier widow of an East India Company’s factor Cindy Sadler**John, Grimes’s new apprentice Beck Benson** Auntie, landlady of “The Boar” Rachelle Pike+Auntie’s “Nieces,” main attractions of the “The Boar” Cree Carrico+, Kristin Schwecke+Bob Boles, fisherman and converted Methodist Jon Jurgens+Reverand Horace Adams, the rector Brett Sprague+Ned Keene, apothecary and quack Ted Federle+Jim Hobson, a carter and town constable Jonathan Harris+

Town Burgesses Todd Barnhill+, Adam Barta+, Ivan Conrad+, Michael Hewitt+, John Riesen+

Townspeople and Fisherfolk Chautauqua Opera Young Artists and Amanda Bottoms, Amanda Conte, Casey Gray, Arthur Lewis++

Village Children Lars Benson**, Jeremy Bohn**, Hannah Doughty**, Shannon Mckee**, Alexandra Mckee**

and Dr. Crabbe Michael Berg**

* Former Chautauqua Opera Young Artist** Chautauqua Opera Debut+ Chautauqua Opera Young Artist++ Voice Majors — SUNY Fredonia School of Music

CAST CREATIVE AND PRODUCTIONConductor Steven Osgood

Conceived/Directed by Jay Lesenger

Chorus Master Carol Rausch

Set Designer Ron Kadri

Lighting/Video Designer Michael Baumgarten

Costume Designer B. G. Fitzgerald

Wig/Makeup Designer Georgianna Eberhard

Coach/Accompanists Jameson Livsey Miriam Charney

Diction Coach/ Allison Voth Supertitles

Technical Director Erin Waters Ryan

Properties Master/ Tricia L. Thelen Scenic Artist

Production Stage Manager Teri Jo Fuson

Assistant Stage Director Alison Moritz

Assistant Stage Managers Kerry Concannon Susan Stephenson

Concertmaster Vahn Armstrong

Special Thanks Jared Jacobsen, Organist, Department of Religion Keith Schmitt and the Amphitheater Crew

SYNOPSISPlace: The Borough, a small fishing village in Suffolk on the East Coast of EnglandTime: Towards 1830

The fisherman Peter Grimes keeps himself apart. The Borough is suspicious of his reclusiveness and his daring success as a fisherman. His only friends are the widowed schoolteacher, Ellen Orford, and the retired Captain Balstrode.

A few weeks before, while out fishing, Grimes and his young apprentice were stranded for three days at sea by a storm. The young boy perished from exposure. The Borough is leery of Grime's story and an inquest is convened.

Part I Prologue - A Room in the Moot Hall, early Spring

The inquest is presided over by the Lawyer Swallow, Mayor and Coroner of the Borough. Since there is no evidence of foul play, Grimes is acquitted, but the cynical community remains suspicious. Grimes is advised not to use a young apprentice in the future, though he protests he cannot manage his boat by himself. As the room empties, Peter fears that his name has not been cleared and that the case will go on in people’s minds. Ellen tries to comfort him.

Interlude I – Dawn

Scene 1 The Borough Beach and Street, a few days later

The Borough wakes up to a new day. Auntie and her “nieces” open her establishment, "The Boar," for the day. Boles, a converted Methodist, rails against the ways of sin. Captain Balstrode spots an approaching storm. The Rector of the parish church greets his flock.

When Peter approaches the beach, most of the villagers refuse to help him haul his boat ashore. Only Balstrode and Keene offer assistance. Keene has found another workhouse boy to be Grimes’ new apprentice, but Hobson, the carter, refuses to pick him up. Only when Ellen offers to look after the boy on the trip back does he agree to deliver the boy to Grimes.

Mrs. Sedley, wealthiest woman in town, amateur sleuth and inveterate gossip, accosts the apothecary (and quack doctor) Ned Keene for a resupply of her laudanum, ostensibly for her heart condition. She reluctantly agrees to meet him at “The Boar” that night to get her pills. As the Spring storm approaches, threatening the village, Captain Balstrode councils Grimes to move away from the Borough and the mistrust of his neighbors. As the storm rages, Grimes vows to succeed, marry Ellen, and quell the villagers’ suspicions.

Interlude II – Storm

SCENE 2 Inside “The Boar”, the same night

At the height of the storm, Mrs. Sedley enters “The Boar,” much to the dismay of Auntie and her clientele. In his cups, Boles chases after her “nieces.” Ned Keene arrives with the news that the cliff near Grimes’s hut has washed away. Grimes bursts in, distracted by the power of nature. Boles vilifies Grimes and an uproar ensues. Hobson returns with Ellen and John, the new apprentice. Grimes takes the boy and rushes out into the storm.

Interlude III – Sunday Morning

Scene 3 The Borough Beach and Street, some few weeks later

As the community gathers for Sunday services, Ellen embroiders a new jersey for John. She discovers a bruise on his back and tries to comfort him, despite Grime's rough ways. Peter has spotted a large shoal of fish and comes to fetch the boy to his boat. While the choir sings in church, Ellen admonishes Peter for not giving the young boy a day of rest. They argue. Peter strikes her and takes the boy away. This is observed by Auntie, Keene and Boles. As the congregation comes from church, the three let the neighbors know that “Grimes is at his exercise.” As tempers rise, Ellen tries to calm the angry crowd. They march off to investigate, leaving Ellen behind with Auntie and her girls who now all have the scorn of the town in common.

INTERMISSION

Part II

Interlude IV – Passacaglia

Scene 4 Peter Grimes’ Hut – shortly after Scene 3

Peter’s mood continues. His vision of a better life with Ellen is disturbed by memories of those three days at sea when his former apprentice died. He gathers his fishing tackle and rushes John towards the back door where the cliff has washed away. Distracted by the approach of the men of the village, Grimes leaves the young boy alone for a moment at the cliff door with disastrous results. When the men of the village arrive, the hut is empty.

Interlude V – Moonlight

Scene 5 The Borough Beach and Street, a few nights later

A subscription dance is taking place at the Moot Hall with much traffic, mostly male, between the dance and “The Boar.” Mrs. Sedley confronts Keene with her suspicions about Grimes. No one has seen him or his apprentice in several days. Though she is sure there has been foul play again, Keene dismisses her. She hides as Ellen finds Captain Balstrode. Grimes’s boat is on the beach, but with no sign of him or the boy. Ellen has found the jersey with the anchor that she embroidered for John washed up on shore and is terrified at what that suggests. They leave to search for Peter.

Mrs. Sedley calls Swallow from "The Boar" and shows him Peter’s boat. The Mayor calls on Hobson to gather a posse to find Grimes. By now the villagers have been alerted. Enraged, they call out for Grimes, vowing to find him and punish him.

Interlude VI – Fog

Scene 6 The Borough Beach and Street, some hours later, before dawn

Peter returns to the deserted shore, haunted by his pursuers and driven mad by tragedy. Balstrode proposes a final way out for the desperate fisherman.

The Borough wakes up to a new day.

CHAUTAUQUA OPERA ORCHESTRAViolins I Vahn Armstrong ConcertmasterDavid Hult Assistant ConcertmasterErica RobinsonMatus ZelmanovichCheryl BintzLenelle MorseMarian TanauMing GaoAmanda ArmstrongLin-ti Wang

Violins IIDiane Bruce, PrincipalCynthia Berginc, AssistantBarbara BergMargaret CooperLara SipolsKaren Lord-PowellHeidi BrownKaren Glavin

ViolasThomas Dumm, PrincipalEva Stern, AssistantConnie LorberCaryn Wiegand NeidholdCynthia FrankJessie Goebel

CellosJolyon Pegis, PrincipalBatia Lieberman, AssistantJeffrey SzaboWendy BrennanGena Taylor

BassesPatricia DoughertyBernard LiebermanDavid RosiCaitlyn Kamminga

Flutes/PiccolosRichard ShermanKathryn Levy

OboesThomas MooreJason Weintraub (English Horn)

ClarinetsEli EbanGeorg Klaas

BassoonsJeffrey RobinsonStephen SmithWilliam Scribner (Contrabasson)

HornsBernhard ScullyDonna DolsonWilliam BernatisMark Robbins

TrupetsCharles BergincPeter LindblomLeslie Linn

TrombonesJohn MarcellusVern KagariceEric Lindblom

TubaFrederick Boyd

TimpaniBrian Kushmaul

PercussionThomas BlanchardRonald Barnett

CelestaClaudia Hoca

HarpBeth Robinson

OrganJared Jacobsen

Stage BandClarinet 1 Eli EbanClarinet 2 Georg KlaasViolin Amanda ArmstrongDouble Bass Caitlyn KammingaPercussion Thomas Blanchard

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Cromarty fishing village, Great Britain Photograph courtesy of High Life Highland: all rights reserved

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